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Devotion to the Santo Niño ~
the Infant of Prague
 Many
seafarers, especially Filipinos have a special devotion to
the Infant Child Jesus, or the Holy Child. The exact origin
of the Infant Child Jesus statues are not truly known, but
historical sources suggest that there was a small sculpture
of the Holy Child with a bird in his right hand as early
as1340.
Santo Niño
The Santo Niño, Holy Child, is the oldest religious image
in the Philippines. The wooden statue was made by Flemish
artisans and brought to the Philippine archipelago by
Magellan in 1521. Magellan gave the Santo Niño statue to
Queen Juana as a baptismal gift.
In 1565 most of Cebu was destroyed by a fire. The fire
was set by the Spaniards as a punishment for hostile
activities of the Cebuanos. In one of the burned houses a
Spanish soldier found the wooded statue of the Santo Niño
relatively unscathed. Since then, the miraculous image has
been treated by the Cebuanos as their patron saint.
Infant of Prague
Infant of Prague (Pražské Jezulátko) is a famous statue
of infant Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady
Victorious, Prague. At the beginning of the 17th century the
statue of the Infant Jesus was brought to Bohemia by a
Spanish Princess as a wedding gift from her mother. The
statue eventually was given to the Discalced Carmelites in
Prague and placed in the oratory of the monastery. |
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Prayer to the Infant of Prague
O Jesus, Who hast said, ask and you shall receive, seek
and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you,
through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I
knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted. (request)
O Jesus, who hast said, all that you ask of the Father in
My name, He will grant you through the intercession of Mary,
Thy Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Thy Father
in Thy name that my prayer be granted. (request)
O Jesus, who has said, "heaven and earth shall pass away
but My word shall not pass", through the intercession of
Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer
will be granted. (request) |
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